Planet Stoppenhagen

E-mail and Internet Hoaxes

I think that this blog entry is maybe long overdue. The Internet and e-mail are powerful tools, as all of you out there are already aware. These tools can be good or bad, constructive or destructive. Sometimes, e-mail and the Internet can be used simply to cause a colossal waste of time. We have recently gotten a number of e-mails that are just that. And I am certain that all of you reading this have experienced these types of e-mails, too.

For years, e-mail hoaxes have been used to create and spread fear amongst the general public around the world. E-mail, as we know can circle the world many times over in the blink of an eye (or the stroke of a key). By their very nature, they are intended to feed on the fear and apprehension that simmers in all of us. That fear and apprehension in each and every one of us has only grown in the years since 9/11. Hoaxers know this and seem to find joy in the knowledge that they are perpetuating these fears with a keen morbid interest.

The latest e-mail I have seen a number of times is the one claiming that an e-mail is circulating around the globe (but "mainly in the US and Israel") that is reporting that Osama bin Laden has been captured or hanged. Also, it also claims that an e-mail titled "Invitation" with the attachment which is an "Olympic Torch" that will erase everything on your computer's hard drive.

This is an e-mail hoax. When any kind of e-mail "warning" comes to your in-box, treat it with skepticism. If, anywhere in the e-mail, you see legitimate companies' names (like CNN, Microsoft and McAfee in this particular e-mail hoax), check those companies' websites to see if they actually legitimately recognize the threat. If you can't find any reference to the threat, then the chances are pretty good that the "threat" is nothing more than an instigation to raise your fear level. If you are still not totally convinced that the e-mail is a hoax, there are a number of websites out there that address these nuisances. I looked up on McAfee to see if this hoax was anywhere close to being real and they make no mention of it. To be sure, I typed in Google, "e-mail hoax" "Osama" and "Olympic" all in quotes and all in the same search field. The results that came up were all websites devoted to debunking e-mail hoaxes and urban myths.

Here is the article that specifically addresses this particular e-mail hoax. It is from the site Cyber Top Cops

Also, other great sites are...

Nuke Town
Snopes, which covers all kinds of urban myths that are circulated via e-mail (i.e. "please send this to all you know because Bill Gates will send each and everyone $1 million...") A good site to put in your Favorites and reference often.

There are a number of sites out there that you can find to "fact check" any e-mail you get like this. Just do a search and they'll be right there. Save yourself some anxiety and the anxiety of anyone you forward the e-mail to by questioning it from the get-go. If you are a little unsure, then just fact check it. And, this also goes for political e-mails, too. E-mail can be very destructive in spreading false information to anyone and everyone further widening the divide that separates this country.

Bottom line is simply to question e-mails that seem a little odd.

Weather

With weather like this, why not head to the beach?

We've had pretty good weather so far. A good amount of rain during the past week, but Friday afternoon and through the weekend, the temps were up and the sun was out. All this week they are forecasting sun, temps in the upper 70s to low 80s and no rain. We'll take it all while we can, because it won't be long until the sun will pretty much go away for a while.

Since the weekend was so nice, we took the opportunity to be outside as much as possible. Saturday we went to the Lake Oswego farmer's market. Sunday was back to the beach to hang out.

The GALLERY has pics.

Happenings

Ethan enjoys Multnomah Falls

As life continues to march along for us, we are trying to settle into something resembling normalcy and routine. Steph has taken the "green" route, in true Potland style and has been taking public transport for her commute. Her job is going really well and has been pretty busy already. Ethan and I are hangin' out all day every day (read: aaauuuuggghh!!) for the time being. It is looking like he'll start school next week at a really good Montessori school and initially go two half-days a week until I start working. Speaking of which, I have had two interviews so far - a distributor and a winery. I was offered the position at the winery but chose, for various reasons, that it wasn't the right job and declined. Too bad, because it could have been a really good job, too if not for some unavoidable hurdles. I have applied for other wine-related jobs and am hopeful that something will come around for me.

To pass time and to keep the sanity intact, we try to get out periodically to have a little fun. Last week I took Ethan to Multomah Falls and over this past weekend we went to Oktoberfest in a tiny little town (village?) between Portland and Salem called Mt. Angel.

Got to our GALLERY HERE to see some various pics of the Falls and Fest.

PS - The Denver house is still on the market - after yet another price drop.

Another New House

As you know, we are now in Portland. But through all of the unpacking and organizing, we lost the USB cable for the camera and have not been able to upload any pics to the computer and, thus, to this website.

After a quick trip to Comp USA, we are now good to go.

As you can see by the above picture, we have found a new house. We are renting this little gem for the time being so that we do not make the mistake we made in Denver by buying a house too soon. We can just take our time to find a house in an area we want to live.

This is a nice house in a nice neighborhood and we like it here,even if it is a bit small. Go HERE to the GALLERY for some pictures of the house.

And remember... Should you know anyone looking to buy a fantastic historic Dutch Colonial in the heart of Denver, let us know. In fact, here is a link to the Virtual Tour for the house... http://www.618pearl.com

Have Dog, Will Travel

We did a nice road trip on the way to Portland to make the drive as relaxing and scenic as we could... we drove thru WY to Jackson Hole for our first stop. Then a breathtaking drive from Jackson thru Idaho, staying in Boise with relatives and on to Walla Walla to check out some wine then on thru the Columbia Gorge in Oregon to Portland. A spectacular drive with no mishaps. After days of unpacking, we hit the beach - an hour and a half away :-)
Go to Gallery for pictures

So long, Denver - Part II

A brief but thoroughly enjoyable stay in Denver ended last week after only 10 months. At the end, it felt like another fun adventure in our continuing "Stoppenhagen Odyssey". On the other hand, it also was perplexing because it felt that the two-plus years in the UK were just a blur and that it really never even happened. That was because we came back to the familiar.

We spent two years abroad and came back to Colorado, where we had set our adult roots. All told, 11 years we were in Colorado (minus the two in England). A lot has happened in our lives in those years. Ideas were shaped, opinions were developed. Pets were raised and children appeared. All in all friends came and went, but the most dear of them all will always be a part of our lives - no matter where in the world we may reside and whatever situations we may find ourselves (good or bad). Coming back to Colorado, it took no time to slip back into that comfort zone because our friends were here. The support system and network they assembled made it easy to get on our feet quickly and easily. The main draw to come back to CO in the first place was primarily tht core of friends and the support structure in place. Along the way new friends were found and will remain great true friends for life, I am sure. For this, we are profoundly grateful.

It wasn't long before the light turned darker for Steph and her job. The position, while essentially the same as the position in the UK, was far below her level of expertise and was quickly revealed to have been over-sold. Imagine our feelings of intense apprehension, remorse and anxiety over this new revelation. To compare, it would be like a surgeon taking a new position at a new hospital with lofty expectations and promises only to learn after getting there that the new position is as a new scrub nurse.

We had just moved back to Denver. Spent a lot of time and energy to buy a house. Settled in. Began redeveloping those friendships now enhanced by the addition of children. Cue bomb drop. Nothing left to do but put the feelers out once again and look for another position. First, the efforts to stay in Denver by moving to the corporate campus was exhausted. Then, a possible position near Colorado Springs opened up only to be scrubbed soon after. It looked as if the option to stay in Denver and/or Colorado was diminished. It almost felt the same as three-plus years ago, the only difference being the fact that she actually still was employed this time around. Some people did not understand the intense feelings of confusion and heartache we endured and still endure in this entire endeavor. A lot of egos were bruised and for nothing other than a lack of understanding. For this, we are profoundly regretful.

Shortly after learning that our time in Denver was going to be brief, we tried to make the most of it, wholeheartedly. A lot of our shenanigans and tomfoolery have been documented on this website. Our last couple of weeks were a whirlwind. A lot of things to get done and a lot of people to say goodbye to. Our GALLERY PAGE has a number of shots from the various goings-on.

Ciao, Denver. Buon jour, Portland.